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F-14 Tomcat
The F-14 Tomcat is a family of second-generation TSFs developed by Grunnan for the US Navy. As the earliest second-generation machine, it represented a major milestone in the war against the BETA, and is mostly phased out of use by the beginning of the 21st century. History Due to reports from the war against the BETA in Europe, designs changes were made to the ''Nimitz''-class nuclear aircraft carrier during construction of the second ship to accomodate a TSF group. Grunnan also developed the F-11 Tiger, the first carrier-based Tactical Surface Fighter, which unfortunately failed to meet the Navy's specifications for a naval TSF. Seeking revenge for the F-11's failure, Grunnan took advantage of the data accumulated to meet the Navy's requirements by developing a new product with the following capabilities: *Operation of the newly developed AIM-54 longe range missile system as a first-strike capability during sea-to-land operations; *Enlargement of fuselage and adoption of a double-seat type control unit (front-seat pilot, rear seat radar control) to aid in the performance of the TSF during high-speed strikes; *Expansion of continuous uptime strategies, that is, improving the unit's staying power on the battlefield; *Ensuring high survivability of both pilot and machine; *Significant improvements in mobility and maneuverability, one of the methods being the adoption of OBW (Operation by Wire), and the use of new lightweight composite materials for armor rather than the heavy armor used on the F-4 series; *Introduction of flexible, aerodynamic control concepts, one of the methods being the introduction of a jump unit with a variable-wing mechanism. The F-14 was an ambitious and innovative TSF concept, representing a completely new combat doctrine that could be used against the BETA. It received 100 orders and financial support from the Navy during its design phase, allowing steady development up to the first unit being delivered in November 1981. Deployment Expectations for the F-14 were high among Navy leaders. Admiral Lascaux Helen Carter, known as the "father of the Tactical Surface Fighter" declared that "with the appearance of the F-14, all existing TSFs become obsolete" at its ceremony. Perhaps the most famous squadron to make use of the F-14 Tomcat was the USA's VF-103 Jolly Rogers. VF-103 was also notably at the retreat of Kyoto in 1998, assisting the remaining Japanese forces in evacuating their capital city. An attempt to sell the F-14 was made to Imperial Japan, but in a fierce marketing battle it lost to the F-15 Eagle due to a lack of close-combat ability. Although it is a larger aircraft than the F-15, its variable geometry jump units allow the F-14 to exhibit a high degree of mobility. With the surplus of units, several upgrades were introduced to keep the Tomcat's performance up to current standards despite its status as the oldest second generation TSF; the F-14D has overall equivalent performance to the F-15C. A further minor upgrade would be made with the F-14E, and improved radar and fire control capability in the final F-14F. Because of skyrocketing maintenance costs, with the F-18E/F Super Hornet as the main TSF of the US Navy, it was decided to retire the F-14 in 2001. Some units are planned to be sold to Iran (the only other nation to adopt the F-14) and pro-American African countries after downgrading. F-14Ex Super Tomcat During consideration to discontinue use of the F-14, a comparison of pilot experience and overall capability to the F-18 Hornet found that many Navy leaders are in favour of continued operations for the Tomcat, and Northrock Grunnan proposes the "Super Tomcat plan" to upgrade the F-14 to 2.5 generation specifications. However, due to costs and the Super Hornet performing better than expected, the project was shelved. For Northrock Grunnan's sake, America sold the plan to Iran to strengthen its F-14s. While it remains a two-seater like the F-14, it places the Weapons Systems Officer in front and the pilot in the rear, a switched layout from the original Tomcat. The head module is expanded for improved sensors and radar, stretching radar coverage by 20%, and fins have been mounted on its limbs and the hardpoints for the AIM-54 Phoenix on the shoulder blocks have been replaced auxiliary side thrusters to boost its maneuverability significantly. A notable aspect of the unit is its capability to easily accept modifications for recon missions without requiring extensive refitting. Unit commanders participating in Blue Flag exercises pilot sniper types with the XWS-116 Support Assault Cannon. Four Super Tomcats are known to be operated by the Imperial Army of Iran/Middle-Eastern Union's Azrael Test Flight. Originally stationed at the Suez Canal as part of the defence line, they were later deployed to a reconnaissance mission north of the Tigris-Euphrates river system in former Syria, and subsequently participated in combat trials at Yukon Base in Alaska under the banner of the United Nation's Project: PROMINENCE. F-14AN3 Mindseeker/РокСова(Roksova) The only TSF to be deployed exclusively by the United Nations, the Mindseeker was a F-14D variant created for the Soviet Union-born esper-pilot corps, assigned to the UN's A-01 Task Force to carry out Alternative III. It, like all F-14 variants, is a two-seater TSF, with the weapons officer (in this case the esper assigned to the craft) seated in front, and the pilot positioned behind. The seating arrangement was originally reversed until the F-14AN3s' assigned pilots voiced their displeasure at having "mind-reading entities" seated behind them. The F-14AN3 was outfitted with various sensors and reconnaissance equipment in lieu of the standard AIM-54 Phoenix missile mount to aid Alternative III espers in detecting BETA thought processes while they were in the Hive, as well as two sensor pods fitted onto the F-14AN3's arms and a revamped head unit that resembled a rock owl, resulting in its Soviet nickname. The sensor equipment has decreased the aerodynamic performace of the F-14AN3 slightly, with the balance being improved engine output compared to the F-14D. During planning, both the MiG-31 and Su-27 were considered as possible TSF candidates for the operation. UN command eventually rejected both on the basis that the MiG-31 lacked the required maneuverability while the Su-27 proved incompatible with the sensor equipment, and instead opted for a modification to the US F-14D design as its primary TSF for this operation. While this angered the Soviets, it did not help that the USA took this chance to once again boost the international standing of its TSFs. Appearances 21.png 3445.png Gallery 21.png|An element of F-14Ds of VF-103 Jolly Rogers F14 15802348.png F14 18416445.jpg Trivia *The original F-14 only had 3 models; the F-14A Tomcat, F-14B Bombcat and F-14D Super Tomcat. The F-14C was an unbuilt variant, there is no F-14E or F-14F variant, and definitely no F-14Ex or F-14AN3. *Proposed real-world variants of the F-14 include an F-14C, an upgraded F-14B with multimission avionics, and a Super Tomcat 21, which in summary would be the Navy equivalent of the F-22. Both were never built, but in the Muv-Luv multiverse the F-14Ex represents the end result of the Super Tomcat 21 plan. Category:TSF Category:Total Eclipse Category:Schwarzesmarken